EBSCO Information Services Announces Austin Community College the Winner of its EBSCO Solar Grant

IPSWICH, Mass. — June 24, 2016 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is announcing the winner of its EBSCO Solar grant. Austin Community College (ACC) District’s Highland Campus Library in Austin, Texas has been selected as the winner of the grant which will cover up to $150,000 of the cost of installing a solar array. The grant will allow the Library to install solar panels and reduce its electricity expenditures.

Austin Community College District’s President and CEO Dr. Richard Rhodes says the Highland Campus Library is a headquarters for innovation among ACC libraries and the college is committed to minimizing its impact on the environment and reducing its dependence on nonrenewable energy. “Being able to install a photovoltaic is a great opportunity to continue to meet the sustainability practices outlined by the ACC Board of Trustees. EBSCO’s willingness to fund this project pushes us forward faster.”

The Library is located at ACC’s Highland Campus, which opened in August 2014 in north central Austin and serves more than 5,000 students. The campus is located on the site of the former Highland Mall which ACC purchased and remodeled into a college campus. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the campus LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for sustainable design and construction. The project has received other awards including the Associated Builders and Contractors Central Texas Chapter Award for Excellence in Construction; the Urban Land Institute’s 2015 Impact Award for Innovation; and the Design Award from the American Institute of Architects Austin Chapter.

ACC Library Services is a collaborative system of information, reference, research, and instructional and technical support whose mission is to support student success, classroom faculty, and teaching and learning. Each of the 11 ACC campuses throughout the district houses a library which provides students with study space, research workstations, course reserves, laptop and e-device checkout services and expert assistance from faculty librarians. ACC’s Dean of Library Services, Dr. Julie Todaro, says, “The Highland Campus Library houses the BatLab—a center for innovative Makerspace STEM activities—and is the perfect location for this environmental initiative. We are excited to partner with EBSCO in this exciting venture and with ACC’s forward-thinking Office of Sustainability.”

EBSCO Industries President and CEO Tim Collins says the submissions indicated that librarians are interested in alternative energies and programming that supports their decisions to go green. “So many of the submissions demonstrated a real interest in reducing the library’s environmental footprint and promoting those decisions to their communities. It was difficult to come up with just one winner but we believe Austin Community College will make great use of the money and its campus and community will benefit.”

Nearly 80 libraries submitted applications. Submissions highlighted the libraries’ current green activities, listed program requests and outlined how sites would get their campus or community involved.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 8,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 800,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.